Subterranean Homesick Blues
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bob Dylan | ||||
from the album Bringing It All Back Home | ||||
B-side | "She Belongs to Me" | |||
Released | March 8, 1965 | |||
Recorded | January 14, 1965 | |||
Studio | Columbia 30th Street, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:20 | |||
Tom Wilson | ||||
Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
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"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by
It is ranked 187th on
References and allusions
In 2004, Dylan said of the song: "It's from Chuck Berry, a bit of 'Too Much Monkey Business' and some of the scat songs of the '40s."[9]
Dylan has also stated that when he attended the University of Minnesota in 1959, he fell under the influence of the
The song's first line is a reference to
The song also refers to the struggles surrounding the
Influence
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" has had a wide influence, resulting in iconic references by artists and non-artists alike. (Most infamously, its lyric "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" was the inspiration for the name of the American far-left organization known as the Weather Underground, which formed after breaking away from the Students for a Democratic Society.)[15] In a 2007 study of legal opinions and briefs that found Dylan was quoted by judges and lawyers more than any other songwriter, "you don't need a weatherman..." was distinguished as the line most often cited.[16][17][18]
John Lennon was reported to find the song so captivating that he did not know how he would be able to write a song that could compete with it.[19][20] The group Firehose (former members of Minutemen) took its name from another of the song's enigmatic warnings: "Better stay away from those that carry around a fire hose..." In addition, the opening of the last verse, "Ah get born, keep warm", provided the Australian garage rock band Jet with the title of their debut album Get Born.
In the same way that Dylan paid homage to
In the 1980s sitcom Murphy Brown, a flashback sequence shows Brown (Candice Bergen) and her future coworker Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) meeting for the first time in a bar. In order to prove to one another their genuine counterculture credentials from the mid-1960s, they join in a "challenge duet" of the first verse of "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
In the 1994 TV drama The Byrds of Paradise, Arlo Guthrie's character Alan Moon attempts to convince Seth Green's character Harry Byrd that Dylan wrote the first rap song, and sings a few lines of Subterranean Homesick Blues to try and prove his point. [21]
In satirical programme
Speaking to
Versions
This section may require WP:SONGCOVER.(June 2020) ) |
Covers of the song span a range of styles, including those by the reggae musician
In December 2009, the rapper
In 1985, British actor Tom Watt, at the time enjoying a high profile playing the role of Lofty Holloway in EastEnders, released a version of the song that made number 67 in the UK singles chart.
Allusions in other artists' songs
This section contains a list of miscellaneous information. (January 2022) |
Elvis Costello cited "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as inspiration for his 1978 song "Pump It Up" saying, "It's how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That's what I did."[28]
Echo & the Bunnymen's 1980 song "Villiers Terrace" includes the lyric "There's people rolling 'round on the carpet / Mixin' up the medicine."
R.E.M.'s 1987 hit, "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", has been stated by guitarist Peter Buck to be an homage to the song.
The Hayes Carll track "KMAG YOYO" is a direct homage to the rhythms and subject matter of "Subterranean Homesick Blues".[29]
The Jesus and Mary Chain's 1989 single "Blues from a Gun" includes the lyric "Look out kid, you're gonna get hit", a line borrowed from the Dylan track.
Robert Wyatt's song "Blues in Bob Minor" from his 1997 album Shleep includes the line, "Genuflecting, bowing deeply/It don't take a weathergirl to see/Where the wind is blowing/What the wind is bending."
The Gaslight Anthem's song "Angry Johnny and the Radio", from their 2007 album Sink or Swim, includes the lyrics "And I'm still here singin', thinking about the government" and "Are you hidin' in a basement, mixin' up the medicine?"
Beastie Boys' song "Funky Donkey" from their 2011 album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two contains the lyrics "I don't wear Crocs and I don't wear sandals / The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handle."
Deaf Havana's album Old Souls contains the song "Subterranean Bullshit Blues", which references the title in homage to the songwriter James Veck-Gilodi's respect for Dylan.
Adam Green's song "Novotel" includes the lyric "Novotel / The phone's tapped anyway."
The alternative rock band
Promotional film clip
In addition to its influence on music, the song was used in one of the first "modern" promotional film clips, the forerunner of what was later known as the music video. Rolling Stone ranked it seventh in the magazine's October 1993 list of "100 Top Music Videos".[30] The original clip was the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film Dont Look Back, a documentary on Dylan's 1965 tour of England. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself.[13]
While staring at the camera, Dylan flips the cards as the song plays. There are intentional misspellings and puns throughout the clip: for instance, when the song's lyrics say "eleven dollar bills", the poster says "20 dollar bills". The clip was shot in an alley close to the
In addition to the Savoy Hotel clip, two alternative promotional films were shot: one in a park (
The film clip was used in September 2010 in a promotional video to launch
The 1992
References
- ^ a b c Williams, Richard (January 13, 2015). "Bob Dylan and the Subterranean Homesick Blues revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 74.
- ISBN 978-0-7710-3040-6.
- ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (March 30, 2010). "Is Bob Dylan Hip-Hop's Godfather?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- Legacy Records, 2010, liner notes, p. 51.
- ^ a b Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 32, Ballad in Plain D: An Introduction to the Bob Dylan Era. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
- ^ "Subterranean Homesick Blues ranked #187 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 20, 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ "Rock's Enigmatic Poet Opens a Long-Private Door". Los Angeles Times. April 4, 2004.
- ^ Biograph, 1985, Liner notes & text by Cameron Crowe.
- ^ a b Gray, Michael (2000). Song & Dance Man III. p. 83.
- ^ "city-journal.org". Archived from the original on December 10, 2005.
- ^ a b c Gill, Andy (1998). Classic Bob Dylan 1962–69: My Back Pages. pp. 68–69, 96.
- ^ "Miva Engine Version Mismatch". Archive.fo. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ Wakin, Daniel J. (August 24, 2003). "Quieter Lives for 60's Militants, but Intensity of Beliefs Hasn't Faded". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- ^ Williams, Carol J. (2011-05-09). "Judges Hand Down the Law with Help from Bob Dylan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ Siegel, Robert (host) (2011-05-10). "Bob Dylan's Words Find Place In Legal Writings". NPR. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ According to the study, Dylan was cited in court documents 186 times; the next closest was the Beatles, cited 74 times (Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2011).
- ^ "News". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
- ^ "Arlo Guthrie, Dylan wrote the 1st Rap Song!". YouTube.
- ^ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A1rNnxfCxQs&list=RDA1rNnxfCxQs&start_radio=1%7Ctitle=The Day Today, RokTV|website=m.youtube.com
- ^ "You are being redirected..." watchmojo.com.
- ^ "Leading Reggae Acts Have Recorded Cover Versions of Bob Dylan Songs for a New Tribute Album". BBC News. 2004-03-17. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
- ^ Bjorner, Olof (2001). "Covers: Subterranean Homesick Blues". Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- ^ "Alanis Morissette Happy to Look Back". United Press International. 2005-11-15. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- ^ Amorosi, A.D. (March 12–19, 1998). "Review: Robert Wyatt's Thirsty Ear". Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (29 June 2021). "Elvis Costello's OK With Olivia Rodrigo's 'Brutal' Sounding Like His Song: 'It's How Rock and Roll Works'". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "Hayes Carll: KMAG YOYO & other American Stories". PopMatters. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
- ^ "Rock On The Net: Rolling Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" (1993)". Rockonthenet.com.
- ^ "Video - Subterranean Homesick Blues | Video". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ "Google Search - About Google app". Google Search - About Google app. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ Short, Norman. "DVD Verdict Review - Bob Roberts". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 2006-01-07. Retrieved 2005-08-21.
- ^ Richard Elliott, Michael Bull, The Sound of Nonsense (2017), p. 75.
- ^ ""Weird Al" Yankovic - Bob". YouTube. Google. Retrieved 12 September 2021.